A night of nostalgia at Fifth Third Field
On June 10, 2026, the Toledo Mud Hens fell to the St. Paul Saints, 12–1, in Game Two of the series. Despite the loss, much of the attention centered around Justin Verlander's rehab start. Verlander made his first appearance in Toledo since June 6, 2015, tossing 5.2 innings while throwing
On June 10, 2026, the Toledo Mud Hens fell to the St. Paul Saints, 12–1, in Game Two of the series. Despite the loss, much of the attention centered around Justin Verlander's rehab start. Verlander made his first appearance in Toledo since June 6, 2015, tossing 5.2 innings while throwing 86 pitches and striking out three.
Verlander turned in a solid outing overall, though St. Paul did its damage through the long ball. Aaron Sabato opened the scoring with a solo home run to left field in the top of the 2nd inning. Kyler Fedko added another solo shot in the 3rd to extend the Saints' lead to 2–0.
The Saints struck again in the 6th with back-to-back home runs. Matt Wallner launched a solo homer to right field before Gabriel Gonzalez followed by sending a drive off the right-field foul pole. The pair of blasts pushed St. Paul's advantage to 4–0 and accounted for all four runs charged to Verlander.
Toledo got on the board in the bottom half of the 6th when Ben Malgeri connected on a solo home run to left field. The blast represented the Hens' only run of the night and cut the deficit to 4–1.
Another notable rehab appearance came from Kenley Jansen, who worked 0.2 innings and recorded one strikeout.
The game broke open in the top of the 7th. Kaelen Culpepper singled and stole second before Kyler Fedko drew a walk. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, and Matt Wallner capitalized with a two-run single to center field. After Jansen exited, the Saints continued to apply pressure against Yoniel Curet.
Gabriel Gonzalez followed with a single, and Aaron Sabato drove in another run with a base hit to center field. Ben Ross then tripled to deep center, bringing home Sabato, before Noah Cardenas added an RBI single later in the inning. By the time the dust settled, St. Paul had scored five runs in the frame and stretched its lead to 9–1.
The Saints continued to add on in the 8th. Fedko reached on a walk before Gabriel Gonzalez doubled into center field. Aaron Sabato then lined a two-run double into the right-field corner, scoring both runners. St. Paul added one more run in the inning to extend its lead to 12–1.
While the final score did not fall in Toledo's favor, the evening provided a memorable moment for the hometown crowd. Fans packed Fifth Third Field to watch Verlander take the mound in a Mud Hens uniform once again, and many rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation as he exited the game. Verlander acknowledged the crowd with a tip of his cap, creating a nostalgic moment for longtime Toledo baseball fans.
The Hens and Saints will continue their series tomorrow night at Fifth Third Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.